District 13a

In the race for the state Senate seat in District 13, Democrats have a choice between two distinct political personalities. Incumbent Sen. Thomas Yeager, with 12 years of legislative experience, is a solid, steady-as-you go veteran. He is opposed by Del. Virginia M. Thomas, who has served an equal number of years in the House of Delegates, and is known to emphasize community service. On the whole, we believe Mr. Yeager would be the better nominee.This senatorial district, which covers southern Howard County from Highland to Jessup as well as eastern Columbia and part of northern Prince George's, is the most politically and geographically diverse in the county.

PUBLIC OFFICE ELUDED the reading candidate in Tuesday's election.Hans K. Meeder finished fourth and last in the race for House of Delegates in Howard County's District 13A. Though he still got 10,007 votes, 20 percent of the total, he couldn't overcome a Democratic majority.Meeder doesn't call himself the reading candidate. There was more to his candidacy than that. Nor did the race, in which he and fellow Republican Michael Grasso tried unsuccessfully to unseat Shane Pendergrass and Frank S. Turner, turn exclusively on reading.

Columbia resident Arthur Reynolds, an Independent candidate for the House of Delegates, says he wants to offer voters an alternative to "petty partisan politics" that is "corrosive to good government."Mr. Reynolds, 44, who was registered as a Democrat from the 1970s through the mid-1980s and ran unsuccessfully for a Howard County delegate seat as a Republican in 1990, says he is part of the "political mainstream" but doesn't carry "special-interest baggage" because of his Independent status.

In the House of Delegates door-knocking war of District 13A, Frank S. Turner must have the most calloused knuckles of any candidate.The first-term Democratic incumbent in the southern Howard County district says he has spent every day since May -- save four -- knocking on doors and talking up voters. Which, by his count, means he's rapped on more than 12,000 to date."He's Iron Man," boasted his Democratic running mate, former County Council Chairwoman Shane Pendergrass.Sometimes, though, the number of doors upon which a candidate knocks is directly proportional to the strength of the political opposition.

Wanda Hurt doesn't place much faith in astrology, but she couldn't help finding some significance in the horoscope for her 51st birthday yesterday, the day she chose to announce her candidacy for the state House of Delegates.The horoscope advised that it was time to convince friends that she would go through with a project and wouldn't back down, Ms. Hurt, a Columbia resident and District 13A Democratic candidate, told a group of campaign supporters at the Foundry Street Gallery at the Owen Brown Village Center.

In the House of Delegates door-knocking war of District 13A, Frank S. Turner must have the most calloused knuckles of any candidate.The first-term Democratic incumbent in the southern Howard County district says he has spent every day since May -- save four -- knocking on doors and talking up voters. Which, by his count, means he's rapped on more than 12,000 to date."He's Iron Man," boasted his Democratic running mate, former County Council Chairwoman Shane Pendergrass.Sometimes, though, the number of doors upon which a candidate knocks is directly proportional to the strength of the political opposition.

Hans Meeder, a Republican candidate for the House of Delegates district that includes east Columbia and North Laurel, raised $3,000 yesterday morning with the help of Rep. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.Meeder, 36, a self-employed educational consultant and former Capitol Hill staffer, lives in Allview Estates in Columbia.He has pledged to lower taxes, bring new discipline to schools and improve Maryland's business climate."We're two or three years behind many of our competing states in getting into an economic recovery, and that's partially the fault of our legislature," Meeder told the crowd of 40 at the Columbia Hilton.

Not everyone will be watching the last episode of "Seinfeld" tonight.If you live in Howard's Legislative District 13A, you have the choice of seeing Republican state Sen. Martin G. Madden and Democratic Dels. Shane Pendergrass and Frank S. Turner instead of Jerry, Elaine and George.The legislators will be holding a wrap-up meeting about this year's General Assembly session at 7: 30 p.m. in Conference Room 6 of the Howard County Office Building, 7121 Columbia Gateway Drive in Columbia. The legislators will give a brief overview of issues and take questions from the audience.

Some editions of The Sun yesterday carried incorrect vote totals in tables for House of Delegates races in Districts 7, 9B and 13A.In the Democratic primary in District 7, the three top vote getters were John S. Arnick, Joseph J. Minnick and Jacob J. Mohorovic.In District 9B, Stephen W. Lafferty won the Democratic nomination.In District 13A, the two Democratic nominees will be Shane Pendergrass and Frank S. Turner.Corrected tables with final, unofficial results for all races appear in today's Maryland section.

Primary battles for three Howard County seats in the Maryland House of Delegates ended with the close of the polls last night.In District 13A, Michael Grasso and Hans K. Meeder defeated Charles Fiege in the Republican primary for the right to challenge Democratic incumbents Shane Pendergrass and Frank S. Turner in November.In District 13B, John A. Giannetti Jr. defeated George J. Kapanoske for the Democratic nomination and will face Del. John S. Morgan, a Republican.In District 14B, Republican John B. Clark was unsuccessful in his attempt to unseat incumbents Robert L. Flanagan and Robert H. Kittleman.

A COUPLE OF familiar names are on the ballot seeking the Republican nomination for the two House seats in Legislative District 13A. Michael Grasso tried four years ago to unseat one of the two Democrat incumbents, Shane Pendergrass and Frank S. Turner. He finished just 730 votes short of his goal.Mrs. Pendergrass and Mr. Turner are unopposed in the Democratic primary. Each is seeking a second four-year term to represent East Columbia and North Laurel.With Mr. Grasso on the Sept. 15 Republican ballot are Hans K. Meeder and Charles H. Fiege.

Not everyone will be watching the last episode of "Seinfeld" tonight.If you live in Howard's Legislative District 13A, you have the choice of seeing Republican state Sen. Martin G. Madden and Democratic Dels. Shane Pendergrass and Frank S. Turner instead of Jerry, Elaine and George.The legislators will be holding a wrap-up meeting about this year's General Assembly session at 7: 30 p.m. in Conference Room 6 of the Howard County Office Building, 7121 Columbia Gateway Drive in Columbia. The legislators will give a brief overview of issues and take questions from the audience.

Hans Meeder, a Republican candidate for the House of Delegates district that includes east Columbia and North Laurel, raised $3,000 yesterday morning with the help of Rep. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.Meeder, 36, a self-employed educational consultant and former Capitol Hill staffer, lives in Allview Estates in Columbia.He has pledged to lower taxes, bring new discipline to schools and improve Maryland's business climate."We're two or three years behind many of our competing states in getting into an economic recovery, and that's partially the fault of our legislature," Meeder told the crowd of 40 at the Columbia Hilton.

Former County Executive Elizabeth Bobo criticized the Republican-dominated Howard County legislative delegation at a candidates forum yesterday, saying it takes a disingenuous approach to governing.Ms. Bobo, a Democratic candidate for delegate in District 12B, charged that the delegation consistently requests state money for school and road construction and other projects, boasting whenever financing comes through. On the other hand, it routinely advocates cutting taxes, she said."It's not an honest way to govern," Ms. Bobo said.

The president of the Howard County Republican Club says he's running for one of the two House of Delegates seats in District 13A.Scaggsville resident Michael Grasso, 33, who operates his own software engineering business and teaches computer science at the University of Maryland Baltimore County, plans to kick off his campaign for the November 1994 election at 7:30 p.m. July 20 at the Heatherfield Club House in Columbia.Mr. Grasso says he is concerned about state budget and taxation issues, citing a growth in spending that outpaced the rate of inflation in the late 1980s.

A COUPLE OF familiar names are on the ballot seeking the Republican nomination for the two House seats in Legislative District 13A. Michael Grasso tried four years ago to unseat one of the two Democrat incumbents, Shane Pendergrass and Frank S. Turner. He finished just 730 votes short of his goal.Mrs. Pendergrass and Mr. Turner are unopposed in the Democratic primary. Each is seeking a second four-year term to represent East Columbia and North Laurel.With Mr. Grasso on the Sept. 15 Republican ballot are Hans K. Meeder and Charles H. Fiege.

Some editions of The Sun yesterday carried incorrect vote totals in tables for House of Delegates races in Districts 7, 9B and 13A.In the Democratic primary in District 7, the three top vote getters were John S. Arnick, Joseph J. Minnick and Jacob J. Mohorovic.In District 9B, Stephen W. Lafferty won the Democratic nomination.In District 13A, the two Democratic nominees will be Shane Pendergrass and Frank S. Turner.Corrected tables with final, unofficial results for all races appear in today's Maryland section.

M. Elizabeth Bobo, ousted as county executive four years ago in a tide of local Republican victories, yesterday easily won the Democratic nomination for a new seat in the House of Delegates.Her victory all but guarantees Ms. Bobo, 50, a seat in Annapolis in the heavily Democratic District 12B, which includes most of western Columbia, Columbia Hills and southern Ellicott City.Ms. Bobo was one of 16 candidates who landed their parties' nominations to represent Howard County residents in the House of Delegates yesterday.